The Ethics and Politics of Uncertainty

The future is uncertain, that we can agree on. But some are more equal than others - and the future is more uncertain for some than for others.

Is this simply a matter of what material resources we can draw on in the here and now? Or is the unequal ability to deal with uncertainty also dependent on how different societies, different groups within a society, and individuals understand themselves as able to individually and collectively influence the future? If so, what aspects of social life enhance or undermine the capability of people to deal with an open future? Is uncertainty itself actually harmful, and if so, under what circumstances? These and other questions were addressed in depth by the British sociologist Peter Marris, who argued that, to understand societies, it is necessary to study how they “domesticate” uncertain futures, and psychological role that attachment plays in human life.

This Café centres on discussion of Marris’ work, with examples of the political and ethical significance of uncertainty drawn from empirical research at Cardiff University and elsewhere.

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